Many mattresses today include borders, top and bottom panels, and other components that are formed with quilted patterns along their surfaces. The quilting of such patterns generally is designed to provide a decorative, aesthetically pleasing appearance to the panels, borders, and other components, as well as to attach together the different layers or plies of materials for the panels. For example, the panels can include top and bottom fabric pieces or layers, with a cushion material, such as foam or other soft, pliable materials sandwiched therebetween, and a backing. As the decorative pattern is stitched or sewn into the panels, the multiple layers or plies of materials are also attached together. The quilted materials then can be fed from the quilting machine in a substantially continuous length into a panel cutting station. The panel cutter can be connected to and operated in conjunction with the quilting machine to cut the quilted materials being fed from the quilting machine into panels of desired lengths, or in some cases, can be used to slit or cut elongated sections or lengths of the quilted materials that can be used to form borders or other mattress components.
The operation of the quilting machines is, however, typically limited by factors such as the thicknesses of the materials being quilted, the patterns being formed, as well as by the mechanical linkage typically utilized between the presser foot and needle bar drive shaft for reciprocating the presser foot and needle bar drive shafts in a directly timed relationship. For example, the presser foot must be raised as the needles are moving out of engagement with the fabric, but after the loopers have caught/picked the loops of thread from the needles, to enable further movement of the fabric, and thus its movement is often tied to the stroke of the needle. The movement of the presser foot must also be of a sufficient stroke and begun/ended at a time to allow materials of varying thicknesses to pass thereunder without binding or bunching. The operation of the quilter also can be limited by the speed at which a panel cutter connected to the quilting machine can be operated. Thus, it may be necessary to substantially slow the operation of the quilting machine, and at times stop the quilting machine, in order to enable the panel cutter sufficient time to cut the panels at the desired length.
In addition, while adjustments are being made to the cutting or slitting blades of the panel cutter, operation of the panel cutter and, if connected in series therewith, the quilting machine generally must be halted. Changing or adjusting the position of the slitting blades of the panel cutter can, however, be a substantially time consuming operation, as the blades typically must be uncoupled from the blade drive shaft along which they are mounted and thereafter shifted with respect to each other to cut the quilted material at the desired spacings, after which the slitting blades must be re-secured to their drive shaft. This adjustment procedure can be a time consuming and somewhat dangerous operation as it typically requires the operator to physically handle and move the slitting blades, which can cut or otherwise injure the operator.
Still further, for sewing various thicknesses of quilted materials, such as when using a thicker foam pad or cushion, it can be necessary to adjust the position of the presser foot of the quilting machine for sewing the different thicknesses of materials. These adjustments typically can require the use of complex electronic position controls or manual adjustment of the individual cams between the presser foot drive shaft and needle bar rocker shaft. Other problems that can limit the operation of such quilting and panel cutting systems include bunching or jamming of the materials being quilted under the presser foot, or one or more layers of the material running out.
Accordingly, it can be seen that a need exists for an improved quilting machine that addresses the foregoing and other related and unrelated problems in the art.